Though less dramatic compared to war, plague, and famine, flu is actually one of the world's biggest killers. Since the first documented pandemic of an influenza-like disease in 1580, 31 worldwide influenza outbreaks have been recorded, culminating in the pandemic of 1918 that killed an estimated 50 million. Social historian Tom Quinn explores the havoc caused by flu through history, from its initial identification by Hippocrates in the 4th century BC. He also considers the consequences of a pandemic occurring in the event of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian flu jumping species, along with recent scientific attempts to alter the structure of the virus in order to destroy it or ameliorate its virulence.